KONSTANZ, GERMANY -- (Marketwire) -- 10/23/12 -- Sunways AG (FRANKFURT: SWW) -- In the European Union, buildings account for 40 percent of total energy consumption. As a result, sustainable, energy-efficient architecture can make a vital contribution to environmental protection. Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) are an excellent means of enhancing energy efficiency. 'BIPV3: Separating fact from fiction - an essential guide for designers' was the title of a conference held at RIBA in London on 17 October 2012. Organised by BRE Group, this annual conference is the most important UK event dealing with the issue of BIPV, and it focused on issues such as building design, the fusion of functionalism and aesthetics, and the technical options for integrating photovoltaic systems in facades, roofs and windows.

'Building-integrated photovoltaics open up a range of multifunctional solutions,' explains Stefan Fischer, a Sunways AG project manager for BIPV who was present in London to discuss projects the photovoltaics specialists from Konstanz had already completed. Solar glass modules with coloured or semi-transparent design solar cells don't just generate electricity for buildings -- they enable architects to create innovative and appealing designs, let buildings make use of natural patterns of light and shade, and offer protection from environmental influences (noise, weather, heat/cold).

Quai de Valmy 179 in Paris is the location of the first residential building in France to feature a full-facade BIPV system. The building was completed in December 2011, and Sunways supplied emerald green solar cells that were integrated in custom-designed glass modules. Construction of the seven-storey building was overseen by Paris-based architects Emmanuel Saadi and Jean-Louis Rey, whose objective was to fuse appealing design with sustainable electricity generation.

With the exception of the ground floor, the building's entire facade is clad in photovoltaic units -- Sunways was the source for a total of 7,200 emerald green multicrystalline design solar cells. 70 different module formats allow for optimum use of the 170 square metre facade. This photovoltaic skin facing the street produces a total of 7 megawatt hours per annum -- this figure corresponds to about 40 per cent of the building's total energy requirements for one year.

The architects' choice wasn't just based on the outstanding efficiency of Sunways solar cells -- their unique hue was also of crucial importance. Quai de Valmy is located on the banks of Canal Saint-Martin, a waterway in the city's 10th arrondissement that is protected as a heritage site. The building's photovoltaics facade had to blend in with its surroundings, and its emerald solar cells harmonise perfectly with the historic ambiance of the district's architecture.

Along with coloured solar cells for stylish, high-end aesthetic designs in building-integrated photovoltaics, Sunways also produces semi-transparent solar cells for translucent BIPV units that can be used on roofs and facades. Find out more at:http://www.sunways.eu/en/products/design-solutions/.

About BREBuilding Research Establishment Ltd. (BRE), Watford, UK, is an independent and impartial, research-based consultancy, testing and training organisation, offering expertise in every aspect of the built environment and associated industries. BRE helps clients create better, safer and more sustainable products, buildings, communities and businesses. (www.bre.co.uk/)

About RIBAThe Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), London, UK, was founded already in 1834. RIBA champions better buildings, communities and the environment through architecture. RIBA provides standards, training, support and recognition for its members worldwide. (www.architecture.com/home.aspx)

Sunways AG, Konstanz/Germany, stands for consistent use of solar energy to secure long-term energy supply of man in an efficient and sustainable manner. Sunways offers technological competence, performance and highest quality -- from single components to complete solar systems.

Since its foundation in 1993, Sunways AG evolved into a technology leader in the photovoltaics industry serving international markets. With silicon-based solar cells, inverters, solar modules and solar systems, the company offers all components required for high-yield photovoltaic power generation. With photovoltaic solutions tailored to customers' needs (transparent and coloured solar cells, building-integrated photovoltaic installations), Sunways turns exceptional ideas into reality.

Sunways Production GmbH in Arnstadt/Germany is a subsidiary of Sunways AG; in addition, the group has its own branch offices in Barcelona/Spain and Bologna/Italy. In 2011, Sunways AG with about 330 employees realised sales of around EUR 115 million.

Related news

The experts of the PV solar community will meet in Amsterdam to discuss new concepts, trends and developments in science and industry. The EU PVSEC provides the most inspiring platform for dialogue and information exchange across the world. The next European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (EU PVSEC 2017), the leading international conference in photovoltaics, will be held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, from 25 - 29 September 2017.EU PVSEC 2017 Conference Main Topics
New Materials and...

The leading fuel cell company PowerCell Sweden AB (publ) has received the first marine order for two PowerCell S3 prototype stacks, which Swiss Hydrogen will install on a ship powered by photovoltaics.
“The marine industry is a very interesting area, in which our capacity to deliver electricity without emissions is extremely important. This order comprises two PowerCell S3 prototypes. The order is of strategic importance, but has a limited effect on the result. We are responsible for the fuel cells and...

The company will install 96 E1.37 MW inverters, made by Gamesa Electric, at two solar power projects being developed in southern India
Gamesa has entered into an agreement with Indian developer Atria Power for the EPC construction of 130 MW of solar power at two developments located in the regions of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, in southern India. It is the largest solar order received by Gamesa since it entered this sector in India last year.
Under the terms of this EPC contract, Gamesa will develop two...

October 17, 2016 --The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Loan Programs Office (LPO) today (10/14) releasednew numberson how the Obama Administration's early support for solar photovoltaic (PV) projects led to a massive expansion of large-scale solar farms. According to today's update to a2015 report, the loans provided by DOE to the first five utility-scale solar PV projects larger than 100 megawatts in the United States helped demonstrate the technology's success to the market and led to the private financing of...

Scientists with the Energy Department`s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for the first time discovered how to make perovskite solar cells out of quantum dots and used the new material to convert sunlight to electricity with 10.77 percent efficiency.
The research, Quantum dot-induced phase stabilization of a-CsPbI3 perovskite for high-efficiency photovoltaics, appears in the journal Science. The authors are Abhishek Swarnkar, Ashley Marshall, Erin Sanehira, Boris Chernomordik, David Moore, Jeffrey...

Customer comments

No comments were found for Building-Integrated Photovoltaics Facilitate Multifunctional Solutions. Be the first to comment!